Wednesday, January 7, 2009

DIY curtains

the other week i made some curtains for my work room. every time i worked in there after dark i would be paranoid that the neighbors were watching me, like they have nothing better to do ;-)
i didn't want to buy any new fabric, because these are only temporary. so i used the leftover bottoms of the curtains in our bedroom. they are cheap ikea curtains, which are super long so are great for high ceilings (or be prepared to hem them.)

i didn't take pics of the process, but here are some general directions.

materials:
-fabric that is 2x the width of the window and the desired length (plus room for seam allowances)
-tension rod
-sewing machine or needle and thread
-iron

directions:
-measure the length and width of the window you want to cover. to allow the curtains to look full when closed, the width of the fabric should be 1.5-2 times the width of the window.
-cut the fabric the desired width and length. the length should be enough to allow for seams and a pocket for the rod.
-sew the bottom and side seams. i do this by folding over the fabric about 1/2 inch, then iron, fold again and iron again, then sew.
-for the top you will want to measure your rod to ensure your pocket is big enough for the rod to fit through. sew the pocket (mine was about 1") by folding and ironing over the fabric to the desired width.
-that's it, now you just put the curtains onto the rod.

(hopefully you keep track of the front and back of your curtain and don't make one of them backwards, like i did. i'm sure no one else will notice, so i didn't fix it.)

1 comment:

Almay Alday said...

Great curtain! If only I had the patience and the talent to make some for my windows!